244 
MISSIONARY TOUR 
vicinity of the sulphur banks, and pools of water, were 
more numerous, and the smoke and vapour that as¬ 
cended from them greater in quantity, than during our 
first visit. The volcano was much more quiescent; 
but some violent convulsions had taken place in the 
interim, for several masses of rock had fallen from the 
high precipices in the neighbourhood. The fires in the 
south and west parts burned but feebly; and though 
there was but litte fire in the north and east sections 
of the volcano, it was evident that the whole of the 
lava in this part had been in a state of agitation since 
we had seen it. Some of the small craters, on the 
southern sides of the great abyss, were extinguished; 
but several new craters had been formed on the oppo¬ 
site side, and bore marks of having been in vigorous 
action but a very short period before. 
Soon after leaving our encampment this morning, 
we come to the pools of water, where we filled our 
canteens. Here also our party separated ; Messrs. 
Goodrich and Harwood proceeding across the interior 
through the villages of Ora to Waiakea, in the divi¬ 
sion of Hiro, while the rest of us passed along the 
east side of the crater, towards the sea-shore. The 
path was in many places dangerous, lying along narrow 
ridges, with fearful precipices on each side, or across 
deep chasms and hollows that required the utmost 
care to avoid falling into them, and where a fall w ould 
have been fatal, as several of the chasms seemed nar¬ 
rowest at the surface. In one place, we passed along 
for a considerable distance under a high precipice, 
where, though the country was perfectly level at the 
top, or sloped gradually towards the sea, the impend¬ 
ing rocks towered some hundred feet above us on 
